The inaugural Cleveland Drafts Festival happened on October 20th, 2018 in Tremont on Cleveland's West Side. After kicking off the day at Visible Voice Books, audiences saw performances by more than 25 local writers while enjoying food and drink at local businesses like Rob Hartshorn Gallery, CODA, Hotz Cafe, and Lava Lounge.  

​

The festival concluded with an after-party to celebrate this spotlight on our local literary community. We extend a heartfelt thanks to all of the partners and volunteers who collaborated on this inaugural festival, including Brews & Prose, Twelve Literary Arts, The CSU Poetry Center, Gordon Square Review / Lit Cleveland, Belt Publishing, the NEO MFA Playwrights, Visible Voice Books, Lake Erie Ink, MUSE Content Group, and the Cleveland Institute of Art. 

​

The first Cleveland Drafts included performances by featured writers Amber Allen, Klae Painter, Conor Bracken, Jacob Bremkamp, Sydney Copeland, Terri Cross Davis, Paul Dickerson, Morgan Elswick, Jason Harris, Joe Kapitan, Faith Kim, Kate Kremer, Phyllis Levine, Angelo Maneage, Ali McClain, Ralph Meyers, Mary Quade, Michelle R. Smith, Amanda Stovicek.